Five Americans Arrested in Pakistan

Five men from Northern Virginia were detained at a house in Sargodha, a town in Pakistan’s Punjab province. The house reportedly belonged to Khalid Farooq, the father of one of the young men, Umer Farooq. According to police sources cited by the NY Times, Khalid Farooq is said to have ties to Jaish-e-Muhammad, a banned Punjabi militant group. The NY Times added in its coverage, “Pakistani news reports also said security officials linked the house to the militant group.”

The story garnered much Western media attention earlier on Wednesday, though most news agencies could not say whether the five men, three of Pakistani heritage, one Egyptian and one Yemeni (all were American citizens), had any direct links to terrorism or were even the same five men who had disappeared from their homes in Alexandria, Virginia late last month. However, as the story developed and more details were known, the Washington Post confirmed all five men, ranging in age from 19 to 25, were reported missing by their families last week in the U.S. and were taken into custody near Lahore on Monday. According to the Post,

The men…went overseas without telling their families, who grew concerned after a family member called one of them on his cellphone and “the conversation ended abruptly,” said Nihad Awad, national executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

CAIR reportedly got the men’s families in touch with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) last week, where they played an 11-minute English video “with jihadist undertones” for agents and Muslim leaders at a lawyer’s office. Discussing the video with the Washington Post, Awad said, “I was very disturbed by the contents. . . . It made references to the ongoing conflicts in the world and that a Muslim has to do something about them,” adding that it showed “a profound misunderstanding and potential misuse of Koranic verses.”

However, although Awad called the video “a farewell statement,” law enforcement sources assert that there is no evidence verifying this claim, adding they “had no information on the men’s intentions.” One official further noted that they had no reason to believe there “was some big plot or big plan…Our primary focus is, let’s get them back safely.”

Looking at the facts so far, it seems there is little direct evidence so far linking these young men to terrorism. Nevertheless, the Western media coverage of the development has been interesting. First, the story gained significantly more traction in the Western/U.S. media than in Pakistan, where the arrests actually took place, [though Pakistani outlets did cover the story Thursday]. Second, several of these news agencies framed the arrests in light of the recent shootings at Fort Hood, Texas and the charges filed this week against David Headley, a Chicago man accused of links to last year’s Mumbai attacks, [Headley, a Pakistani-American, pleaded not guilty in court today]. The NY Times in its coverage Wednesday noted these recent arrests come “at a time of growing concern about homegrown terrorism” in the United States. However, by grouping today’s arrests with Fort Hood and Headley, are news outlets in effect sealing their guilt or merely pointing out a potential trend?

Newsweek cited a source familiar with the investigation, who noted the family “of at least one of the detained men attends the Dar Al-Hijrah mosque, located in a Virginia suburb of Washington,” the same mosque also once attended by Maj. Nidal Hasan, the accused Fort Hood shooter. Newsweek added, “Before 9/11, one of the mosque’s preachers, Anwar al-Awlaki, was in contact with at least two of the 9/11 hijackers.”

If this news coverage is reflective of anything, it’s of the increasing interconnected and transnational nature of militancy, a point that is certain to have ramifications for Pakistan if this story plays out. It also seems to indicate an increasing U.S. paranoia reminiscent of the months following 9/11. While this paranoia is not unfounded (Fort Hood was of course an immense tragedy), I find it disconcerting that we cry, “witch!” with near reckless abandon before all the facts have been revealed. I also find it sad that the Muslim-American community has to constantly be on the defensive, releasing immediate statements in the aftermath of such developments, initiating campaigns to educate Americans about Islam.

I’ll leave you with a quote by Ali Eteraz, author of Children of Dust,whorecently raised an important point worthy of debate:

There is no need for one Muslim to condemn the crimes of another. Collective responsibility cannot, and should not, be accepted. Where one accepts collective responsibility one opens the door to collective punishment. Are Muslims individuals? Or are they one singular marionette that pirouettes each time its string is pulled?

Thoughts?

Like this:

LikeLoading...

Related

26 Responses

[…] Khalid Farooq is said to have ties to Jaish-e-Muhammad, a banned […] Read more at: CHUP! – Changing Up Pakistan alexandria virginia, american citizens, american islamic relations, conflicts in the world, […]

confession: i stared at this box for a long time…momentarily am afflicted with a sense of helplessness…

am certain of one thing…it is not the religion that is the cause…otherwise down the 15 centuries muslims would have done far worse damage all around

this re enactment of david and goliath has two obvious catalysts…one, the misinterpretation of the call of religion by fringe fundamentalist groups within the islamic fold and two, the overwhelming military superiority of the occupying powers in the muslim hot spots

I just think it’s upsetting that we constantly have to be on the defensive because of these fringe elements. While I recognize the Muslim-American community in the U.S. needs to address events like Fort Hood, and then this story, I find it a sad reality – if another rabid, crazy fringe militant hijacks Islam again, will we have to go back to square one and start again?

Just saw a commercial that CNN is having a report on “Homegrown Terror” coming up, which is a significant story, but again, am wary of the kind of paranoia this will cause.

According to the AFP, “Security officials said the detainees were planning to strike “sensitive installations” in Pakistan and that maps and laptops were found, while FBI personnel had also been given access to the detainees.”

It was long suspected that all the terrorism in Pakistan is because the the USA was directly involved in it. Now five Americans were arrested. Whenever any act of terrorism was committed, the Taliban and their friends were blamed. The Taliban have nothing to gain with an on going terrorist campaign in Pakistan. The USA gains a great deal by destabilisng Pakistan.
One of the things the US always asks Pakistan ‘to do more against the Taliban because they are in Pakistan and are committing acts of terrorism.’
A way to put pressure on the Pakistan government and try to control it. When more Americans get caught – their entire plan will fall apart. The US agency CIA and the private concern Xe formerly Blackwater a mercenary organisation is doing what it has been paid to do. Cause chaos and anarchy in Pakistan. Kill as many Pakistanis as they can.
The real terrorist state is the USA not Afghanistan. The US planted Karzai as the President of Afghanistan. He is a puppet leader with no authority – yet the Americans keep saying ‘we will work with Afghan government’ this government is a US made set up.
Only when the USA leaves will all the bombing and other terrorist activities in Pakistan will stop.

While that leaves both US Muslim community and Pakistan on the defensive for containing and sustaining such militants, the rightists and their likes (read above) immediately rushed in to cash the news as another argument to cite American involvement in the region, entirely ignoring the fact that these ‘Amreeki agents’ were Muslims planning, allegedly, to do terrorism in the name of Islam here in the ‘land of pure.’

What’s all the more worrying is the fact that these men traveled across borders to do these acts of terrorism here at Pakistan, if indeed they are alleged correctly, and none of the so-called security measures stopped them on their way.

It’s sad that Muslim community is held responsible for every such happening. The doctrine of collective duty and collective punishment, then, seems to be wrong and unjustified.

As neither a Pakistani or an American I often find myself unqualified to comment on some of Kalsoom’s wonderful articles. However, the theme of collective responsibility noted in this post rang true for me.
I’m an Irish citizen. After the 2005 July bombings in London our national radio sataion, Radio Telifis Eireann, filed an excellent piece. They compared the Muslim community’s reaction to this attack with the Irish community’s reaction to the Canary Wharf bombing carried out by the IRA (a paramilitary movement hoping to unify Ireland as a republic through violent means if necessary) almost ten years previously. In both communities there were a variety of reactions; shock, awe, pride, shame, anger, humiliation, amongst many others.
The one thing that was obvious, the actions of a few had affected the many. Irrelevant of whether a member of the community agreed or disagreed with the action all the interviewees were certain that they would have to deal with the repercussions. I don’t know if this is the fault of the few who act or of those who see a whole community of people as responsible for that action, perhaps it’s both.

Thanks for your comment, it’s so interesting to hear about the similarity between the Muslim experience and the Irish during the IRA bombings. The interesting thing about the Muslim-American community is that statistically they are not cohesive at all – in fact, the two things Muslim-Americans are united around are 9/11, and interestingly, President Obama (over 90% at the time of the election of Muslim-Americans favored him). Given this fact, it’s significant that when this community is under attack, they have to release statements that reflect their population as a whole, which is kind of this forged identity rather than one that is truly united.

@Miran: It is exponentially easier to blame others for our problems than to accept responsibility ourselves. I think it is high time for you to stop blaming Blackwater, US, UK, Israel, India and perhaps Mongolia and take responsibility. Only then we, as Pakistanis, will be able to figure out a solution to the mess at hand.

On the one hand, Muslims are supposed to be part of and represent a community, but on the other hand, if we are, it is not a unified community, and this is more true now than it ever has been it seems. As a result, I think a lot of Muslims are confused as to what to do and how to respond.

We want to celebrate those Muslims that achieve great things as scientists or artists and have them represent the Muslim community, but are annoyed when we’re held responsible for the actions of a small group of extremists.

On the one hand, we are individuals responsible for our own actions, but on the other hand, we are (or are supposed to be) part of a larger community. It’s a kind of catch-22 that can’t be avoided, so I think we need to do a couple of things.

1) Make those who don’t know much about Muslims aware that it is a fractured community. And keep telling them that until it gets through their heads, if you have to.

2) Muslims, as part of the community, do have a responsibility to help other Muslims, and part of this is educating and guiding others to keep them from committing such crimes in the first place. This is particularly true for Muslim religious leaders, who in my experience, are often not well educated but are somehow the ones that are supposed to guide the community in doing what is right. This is an unacceptable situation and one I think a lot of Muslims can do better on.

I understand it can be quite frustrating, but that’s how life is sometimes.

Regional police chief Javed Islam said the men had yet to be charged with any crime but they would “most probably” be deported. He declined to say how long police could hold them before they were charged.

Islam said Thursday the five young men wanted to join militants in Pakistan’s tribal area before crossing into Afghanistan to take part in jihad, or holy war. He said they met representatives from the al-Qaida-linked Jaish-e-Mohammed militant group in the southeastern city of Hyderabad and from a related group, Jamat-ud-Dawa, in Lahore but were turned away because they were not trusted, he said.

1) Lack of religious education among muslims
2) Oppressive actions of US & Allies across the world
3) Blind support of Israel by US & Allies
4) Lack of control on media to prevent fanning the flames of paranoia – i mean the projected association of Anwar Al-Awlaki with Nadal and now subsequently these 5 guys is absurd. If I’m not mistaken I’ve prayed at Dar Al-Hijrah too!

It sounds as if you are justifying it. You are saying,”Terrorism exists because _____”. You should say,”There is no justification. NONE”.

There is no justification for individuals who think by killing innocent women and children they can achieve their goals.
There will always be one or the other problem in this world and people cant go killing other just because of it.

There is NO justification. And I agree that Aly B may have done more justice to his own post by at least acknowledging that up front.

However, acting as if there are no political motivations or causes behind it will only make effectively addressing and countering the problem that much more difficult. To find a cure or remedy for any disease, you need an accurate, complete, and honest diagnosis.

Nope. I do not agree. 1st the Killings have to stop then the Political Motivations looked into. You HAVE to do this if you are dealing with elected governments.
There is no reason big enough to justify killings.
Show me one revolution succeeding with the help of a gun.

LAHORE: Security agencies on Saturday intercepted two more vehicles of US Consulate in two different localities of the provincial metropolis.

However, police claim the security personnel let the foreigners go only after a thorough search of the vehicles and being furnished with their identification by the consulate.

In the first incident, a land cruiser was intercepted by the police at a picket near Shimla Hill for bearing suspicious registration number.

The occupants of the vehicle reportedly offered resistance when the police sought their identification as well as registration book of the vehicle.

In the meantime, a security squad of the US Consulate also arrived at the spot and managed release of the vehicle and those riding it, sources said.

The other vehicle, also a land cruiser, was stopped by security personnel and military police at Sherpao Bridge, Cantonment, also carrying foreign ‘diplomats’.

Police sources said the vehicle had a fake registration number of Karachi. However, US Consulate officials again intervened and took the vehicle and its occupants with them, without letting the security personnel search them, they added.

SSP (Operations) Shafiq Ahmad said both the vehicles were allowed to go only after a thorough search, complete verification of their registration and travel documents of the foreigners.

It was third incident in a week in the city when security agencies intercepted vehicles owned by US Consulate.

We increasingly see West freaking out about the existence of(real or perceived) Jihadis on their soil. What does the future hold?
I think if the trend continues, there will not be the kind of reaction against the Muslims like the Nazis showed against the Jews. Muslims will find it increasingly difficult to travel to the West.
This is a problem for the development of Muslim countries since west is the Technological leader since many centuries and will remain so for a long time. Cutting access to that region will hurt Muslim lands.
Muslims will come under surveillance more and more in the West.
This will be a milder form of Fascism and is already happening. This will happen behind the banner of fighting Terror.

Yes,French Revolution was bloody. But, you cant justify violence against a country that practices democracy like India. Be it either in Kashmir or the Maoists. That is what I meant.

To fight any armed rebellion you have to on the moral highground. Pakistan has to fix its political structure into a true democracy and the fight against extremism will surely be won.
You cannot talk to terrorists unless they lay down their arms. And, Pakistan must not talk to the TTP unless the stop the violence. I see a lot of blood flowing in Pakistan before this situation comes under control.